RAQUEL AEDO was born in Miami, Florida, where she trained with Gerri Karuncho and went on to attend The New World School of the Arts. She has performed with the Ballet Theater of Miami, and the Frederick Bratcher Contemporary Dance Company. Since coming to New York in 1991, she has studied at the Merce Cunningham Studio and toured with Douglas Dunn and Dancers from 1992 to 1994. She joined White Oak Dance Project in 1994.
MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV was born in Riga, Latvia, of Russian parents. He began studying ballet in Riga, and after a few years, was accepted by the Vaganova School in Leningrad where he studied under the renowned teacher Alexander Pushkin. At 18, he entered the Kirov Ballet as a soloist and remained with the company from 1968 to 1974, when he left Russia. From 1974 to 1979, he danced with ballet and modern companies around the world. He was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet from 1979 to 1980, and from 1980 until 1989 he was Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. In 1990, with Mark Morris, Mr. Baryshnikov founded White Oak Dance Project. He is the 1997 recipient of a New York Dance and Performance Award ("Bessie"). He received both the Kennedy Center Honor nad the National Medal of Arts in 2000.
EMILY COATES began her dance training with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. She continued her training at the School of American Ballet, where she was awarded the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 1992 and was asked to join the New York City Ballet (NYCB) that same year. During her six years with NYCB, she danced in many roles in the Balanchine, Robbins and Martins repertoire. This is her third season with White Oak Dance Project.
ROSALYNDE LeBLANC was born in Baltimore, Maryland where she began dancing at the Peabody Preparatory. She received a BFA in dance in 1994 at the State University of New York at Purchase. In 1993, Ms. LeBlanc began her professional career dancing with Bill T. Jones in the duet Shared Distance. She remained with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company until 1999. Currently, she studies dance with Christine Wright, Susan Klein, and Barbara Mahler and voice with Ridley Chauvin. She joined White Oak Dance Project in October 1999.
MICHAEL LOMEKA was born in the Philippines and began dancing in the island of Guam under the direction of Teri Knapp. He was accepted into the Juilliard School, under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy, where he performed in works by José Limón, Agnes de Mille and Paul Taylor. Upon graduation, he joined the Broadway company of The King and I and has also been a part of the Broadway production of A Christmas Carol, choreographed by Susan Stroman, as well as the pre-Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet The Musical, with choreography by Christopher d'Amboise. Mr. Lomeka toured with White Oak Dance Project in 1998 and returned in the fall of 1999.
EMMANUÈLE PHUON is French-Cambodian. She was raised in Asia where she studied traditional Cambodian dance and ballet. In New York she has danced with the Elisa Monte Dance Company from 1989 to 1994, the Kevin Wynn Collection, Buglisi/Foreman Dance, and Martha Clarke's production of Orfeo for the New York City Opera.
KEITH SABADO was born in Seattle, Washington. He moved to New York in 1978 and danced with several modern dance companies among them the companies of Pearl Lang, Pauline Koner, Hannah Kahn, Jim Self and Rosalind Newman. From 1984-94 he was a member of the Mark Morris Dance Group and in 1988 he received a New York Dance and Performance Award ("Bessie") . From 1994 to 1997 he performed with the White Oak Dance Project. He has also appeared in opera productions directed by Peter Sellars The Death of King Klinghoffer and Martha Clarke's Orfeo. Most recently he was a member of the Lucinda Childs Dance Company during it's 25th anniversary year.